Refusing to Kill: Bristol’s World War I Conscientious Objectors

Telling the story of Bristol men who refused to fight in the First World War and the people who supported them, this exhibition covers the varied motivations of Conscientious Objectors and their experiences during the war and afterwards, using documents, photographs, artefacts and material from surviving relatives. Links will be made between the stand of Conscientious Objectors in WWI and current opposition to war around the world.

The Whiteford brothers from St George, photographed above, show the range of views in Bristol about the war. Graham volunteered to serve in the army; Hubert was imprisoned as a conscientious objector; Wilfred, while refusing to fight in the war, agreed to serve in the Non-Combatant Corps. To this day, their family remains proud of the choices each of them took.